Swivel rocking chair



Feb. 25, 1954' A. J. BELISLE ETAL SWIVEL ROCKING CHAIR Filed Sept. 5, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTORS ADELARD J. BELI SLE HAROLD D. ALLYN BY FRANK M. RE

ATTORNEY.

25, 1964 A. J. BELISLE ETAL 3,122,396

SWIVEL ROCKING CHAIR Filed Sept. 5, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTORS. ADELARD J. BELISLE HAROLD D. ALLYN BY FRANK M. RE

ATTORNEY.

25, 1954 A. J. BELISLE ETAL ,39

SWIVEL ROCKING CHAIR Filed Sept. 5, 1961 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS. ADELARD J. BELISLE HAROLD D. ALLYN BY FRANK M. RE

ATTORNEY.

nited States Patent 3,122,396 SWIVEL RGCKENG CHAIR Adelard J. Beiisle, South Hadley Falls, Harold D. Allyn,

Springfield, and Frank M. Re, Holyoke, Mass, assignors to Dual Manufacturing 8: Engineering, Inc., Holyoke,

Mass., a corporation Filed Sept. 5, 1961, Ser. No. 137,441 1 Claim. (Cl. 297-89) The present invention relates generally to new and useful improvements and structural refinements in chairs and is directed more particularly to the provision of a chair which may be utilized as a lounge chair, as a reclining chair, a rocker, or as a swivel rocking chair and to an improvement in the means for effecting the extension or retraction of the foot rest of a chair of the type described.

It is to be understood that while a swivel rocker is described, the mechanism hereof may be used in any style of suitable lounge chair.

Heretofore, it has been contemplated to provide a chair which may function both as a rocking chair and as a swivel chair. However, it is new to the art to provide a chair which may be utilized as a lounge chair, a rocker, a recliner, or as a swivel lounge chair, rocker and/or recliner, all at the option of the chair occupant.

Without intending to place undue limitations upon the scope of the invention beyond what may be required by the state of the prior art, the particular embodiment may be briefly described as embracing the concept of incorporating a novel link-age mechanism into the construction of a chair of the type described wherby the unitary seat and back of said chair may be moved from an upright or sitting position to a reclined position coincidental with the outward and upward movement of a footrest. I

it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a swivel rocking chair of the type described which may be provided with means for efiecting the reclination of the chair seat and back independently of, and without interference to the swivel and/or rocking means of the chair.

As a further refinement of the present invention, we provide a structure wherein the unique features of design are inconspicuous and non-observable by the average eye so that the average user is not made aware thereof.

Ihese foregoing objects and other incidental ends and advantages will in part be obvious and apparent and will in part be more fully pointed out as the nature of the invention is better understood in the progress of the disclosure below. To the end of attaining these objects and advantages and others hereinafter reasonably appearing, it will be explained that the invention consists substantially in the combination, construction, configuration, location and function of parts, as herein described in detail.

The characteristic features which we consider to be novel with our invention will be better understood from a consideration of the following detailed description forming a part of this specification, when read in conjunction with the illustrations in the accompanying drawings, wherein like characters of reference are employed to designate like or corresponding parts throughout the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a fragmentary elevational view of a chair embodying the principles of the invention with parts broken away for the sake of clarity;

FIG. 2 is an elevational view of the linkage mechanism of the chair of FIG. 1, same being shown in the partially extended position;

FIG. 3 is a view, similar to FIG. 2, with the linkage mechanism being shown in the fully extended position; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged, fragmentary elevational view of the floating stop means of the invention, with portions of the linkage mechanism having been broken away for purposes of clarity.

In the following description and in the appended claims, various components and details thereof will be identified by specific names for purposes of convenience. Although specific terms and expressions are employed for purposes of identifying various components, they are used in a generic and descriptive sense only. The phraseology or terminology herein employed is not for the purpose of limitation and they are intended to be as generic in their application as the art will permit. They are not intended to exclude any reasonable equivalent-s of the features shown and described or portions thereof.

With continued reference now to the drawings, which illustrate a typical and preferred embodiment of the invention for the purpose of disclosure and form a part of this specification, we have shown a swivel rocking chair rotatably mounted by conventional means upon a base 2, and having suitable means, not shown, incorporated therewith, whereby a rocking motion may be imparted to the chair.

A unitary seat and back rest structure comprising a back-rest 4 and a seat 6 integral therewith is pivotally mounted for \rotative movement between the spaced upwardly extending side rails 3 of the chair, upon a horizontal base rail 10 extending in a front to rear direction relative to the side rails of the chair.

A leg-rest 12 is provided and may be extended from its normal retracted position adjacent the forward edge of the chair by a linkage mechanism subsequently to be described.

While only one of these mechanisms will be described for purposes of clarity, it will be understood, that duplicate mechanisms will be employed, with each being disposed adjacent one of the upwardly extending side rails 8.

The linkage mechanism hereof comprises a base bracket 14- fixed to said base trail 10 as by screws 16 or the like, and a seat bracket 18 fixed to the seat as by screws 20 or the like. The unitary seat and back rest structure is mounted for pivotal movement relative to said base rail upon a pivot link 22 extending between the seat bracket 18 and the base bracket 14 and pivoted thereto at 24 and 26 at its upper and lower ends respectively.

A leg-rest mechanism is suspended from the seat bracket 18 and functions to extend the leg-rest :12 forwardly and outwardly from the chair as the unitary seat and back is reclined.

Said leg-rest mechanism comprises a main power link or L-link 28 pivoted at its upper end as at 30 to the seat bracket 18 and pivoted adjacent its mid-section as at 32 to the base bracket 14. Power link 28 is pivoted at 34 at its lower end to the lower end of a first propeller link 36 which is pivoted at its upper end at 38 to a leg-rest link 49 fixed to the leg-rest 12. A secondary power link 42 is also pivotally connected to the seat bracket 18 as at 44 at a point removed from the pivotal connection 30, and is pivoted at 46 at its lower end to the lower end of a second propeller link 48, said link being pivoted at 56 at its approximate midsection to main power link 28, and at its upper end at 52 to the upper end of a connector link 54.- Connector link 54 is pivoted at 56 at its approximate midseotion to first propeller link 36 and at its lower end at 58 to the lower end of a third propeller link 60, said link 64} being in turn pivoted at 6-2 at its upper end to leg-rest link 40.

A floating stop link 64 is disposed adjacent the inner planar face of link 43 and extends between the pivotal connections 59 and 52. As best seen in FIG. 4, said stop link will be observed to be sandwiched between links 28 and 48 at its lower end and between links .8 and 54 at its upper end.

Stop link 4 is provided with a raised stop portion 66 and a toe portion 68 at its forward end, for purposes subsequently to be described.

Link 64 is further provided with a slot '70 through which the pivot pin 52 may pass in a loose fitting manner whereby said link may be described as floating at its forward end relative to said pin whereby any binding of said stop link is precluded.

When the chair components are in the upright, sitting position illustrated in FIG. 1, the stop link 64 serves to preclude any unwanted retraction of the leg-rest 12 in that the raised stop portion 66 of the said stop link abuts the forward edge of power link 28 while the leg-rest link 46 contacts the toe portion 68 of said stop link.

To place the mechanism in the partially extended position shown in P18. 2, the chair occupant need exert only a slight rearward pressure upon the back-rest 4 whereby the unitary seat and back and seat bracket 18 are caused to move generally horizontally rearwardly as link 22 pivots relative to pivot points 24 and 26.

As the seat bracket 18 moves rearwardly main power link 2$ is caused to rotate relative to the pivot points 3%) and 32, whereby first and second propeller links 36 and 48 are urged forwardly and upwardly, thus transmitting a corresponding forward and upward movement to the legrest link 40 through the interaction of connector link 54 and third propeller link 60.

To place the mechanism in the fully extended position shown in FIG. 3, additional pressure is brought to bear upon the back-rest 4, causing a further rearward movement of seat bracket 18 and additional rotative move-' ment of main power link 28 whereby a further outward and upward movement of leg-restlink 4b is obtained.

When the position illustrated in FIG. 3 has been attained, the lower end of secondary power link 42 will now contact the rearward edge of power link 28 whereby further rearward movement of the unitary seat and back and further upward and outward movement of the leg-rest link 49 is precluded.

To return to the upright sitting position of FIG. 1 from the positions shown in FIGS. 2 or 3, the chair occupant need only exert a downward pressure upon the leg-rest 12 to bring the chair to the sitting position of FIG. 1 with the leg-rest retracted.

From the foregoing, it will be obvious that We have provided a truly novel swivel rocking chair which may be reclined and which is provided with such a mechanism as to permit the synchronous extension of a leg-rest as the chair components are moved to an angularized position relative to a base and which is designed to permit the chair occupant to rock or to swivel and/or recline as desired, regardless of the position of the leg-rest.

It is believed that the gist of the invention will be clearly understood from the foregoing disclosure and accordingly, further analysis thereof at this point is considered unnecessary, as we have, in accordance with the provisions of the patent statutes, described the construction and principle of operation of our invention together with the apparatus which we believe to represent the best embodiment thereof, to the end that others can, by applying current knowledge, readily adapt it for various applications without omitting features which, from the standpoint of prior art, fairly constitute essential characteristics of its generic and/ or specific aspects.

The claim is desired to include within the scope thereof all of said suitable variations, modifications and equivalents by which substantially the results of the invention may be obtained through the use of substantially the same or equivalent devices or means. Accordingly, limitation hereof should only be made as determined by a proper interpretation of the prior art and the scope of the subjoined claim, in which it is our intention to claim all novelty inherent herein as broadly as possible.

We therefore particularly point out and distinctly claim as our invention:

A combined swivel rocking and reclining chair comprising, a base, a support rotatable and rockable upon said base, a body-supporting unit including a back-rest and a seat integral therewith, means mounting said bodysupporting unit for movement about a pivot successively between a sitting position and an intermediate resting position and a fully reclined position and a plurality of positions between said sitting position and said intermediate position, a leg-rest, a leg-rest control linkage including coacting links movable relative to each other in response to movement of said body-supporting unit, said leg-rest control linkage including: a base bracket fixed to said support, a seat-bracket fixed to said seat, a leg-rest link, first and third propeller links pivotally mounted to said leg-rest link, a connector link pivotally connected to. said first and third propeller links, a second propeller link pivotally connected to said connector link, a main power link pivotally connected to said first and second propeller links and to said seat and base brackets, a secondary power link pivotally mounted on said seat bracket and pivotally connected to said second propeller link whereby said leg-rest may be elevated into a leg-supporting position in response to movement of the links of said leg-rest control linkage relative to each other as said body-supporting unit moves into resting position and into reclining position, a floating stop link pivotally connected to said main power link and slideably connected to said connector and second propeller links and sandwiched therebetween, first stop means integral with said floating stop link adapted for engagement with said leg-rest link and second stop means integral with said floating stop link adapted for engagement with said main power link to limit the inward movement of said leg-rest control linkage beyond a predetermined fully retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,648,579 Slyter et al. Aug. 11, 1953 2,884,990 Bank et al. May 5, 1959 2,918,113 Lorenz Dec. 22, 1959 2,940,509 Fletcher June 14, 1960 2,943,670 Hoffman July 5, 1960 2,951,528 Maurer Sept. 6, 1960 3,001,819 Fletcher Sept. 26, 1961 

